“When children read the foreword, which includes the warning, “Animals aren’t always charming,” they will know that this is not going to be your average, warm and fuzzy animal poetry book. The tongue-in-cheek verses serve as a “research guide” (and alert) for youngsters who are considering getting a pet…. Humorous first-person rhymes…. OHora’s illustrations, done in muted acrylics, add to the whimsy…kids will love the silly humor and animal discussion.”

– School Library Journal, March 2013

"Kids will enjoy the poems…. The funniest, and shortest, poem is about a hippopotamus: “Chances of getting a hippo: / zippo.” OHora’s acrylics make sure kids get the jokes, engulfing the girl in smelly, green hippo breath and gleefully depicting both excrement and icky eating habits. The microscope may seem anticlimactic after she’s looked at hippos and monkeys, but her choice makes perfect sense. Parents will find it heartwarming, since it encourages an interest in science. Children might prefer the hippo, but they’ll have fun reading the poop jokes out loud to their parents again and again.”

– Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2013

"Wheeler’s simple poems are fun and funny, and they introduce a wide variety of critters. OHora’s thickly lined acrylic illustrations add to the entertainment, with a bespectacled, science-minded girl (yay!) at the helm and humorous interpretations of animals, set on white pages. Also, this one might talk kids out of wanting a pet. You’re welcome."

– Booklist, April 1, 2013

"OHora’s chunky acrylic caricatures are well suited to Wheeler’s lightly wicked humor (a pony is shown in a beauty salon chair, mane in curlers, kicking at the girl). The poems may not make children rethink their pet dreams, but they’ll certainly laugh at the worst-case scenarios.”

– Publishers Weekly, March 11, 2013